1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mobile caddy or cart for a painter, and more particularly, to a multipurpose cart useful for transporting and supporting paint buckets, paint supplies such as brushes and rollers, and facilitating access to a paint pan or an open paint can to facilitate the painting operation.
2. Description of Related Art
Mobile and stationary apparatus for facilitating the support and transporting of supplies are known. U.S. Pat. No. 2,862,220 to Orr illustrates a dolly for a vacuum cleaner or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 2,840,384 to Bard; U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,951 to Berfield et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,867 to Hampton; U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,128 to Stich et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,516 to Ottaway illustrate a cart for transporting one or more cylindrical cans or buckets, such as cleaning fluid or paint cans. Each of these carts is generally single purposed in that the cart generally provides the user with a means for transporting and/or supporting a specific object to and at a desired work area.
While suitable for their respective intended purposes, there is an ongoing need for improvements in mobile apparatus that enables a user to perform multiple tasks.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome deficiencies in the carts of the class described by providing a mobile cart and an arrangement thereon wherein at least one large paint bucket and paint supplies, such as the paint brushes, rollers and pan, are placed in close operable relation to one another and transported to a work site whereat the bucket is opened for use by the painter with the paint supplies therewith.
Another object of the invention is provision of an elevated support on the caddy that positions the paint pan in juxtaposition with an open paint bucket (or cans) for operable use by the paint rollers and brushes.
An advantage of such a cart or caddy so arranged is that the painter may simultaneously use all of the requisite supplies from one cart, thereby providing a cost effective apparatus for completing a paint assignment remote from a supply truck.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a paint transporting caddy that includes an array of both swiveling and non-swiveling casters, the swiveling casters being disposed at the opposite ends of the caddy, and the non-swiveling casters being centrally disposed and spaced from the caddy somewhat further than the swiveling casters, the non-swiveling casters permitting rolling motion of the caddy and cooperate to permit the frame of the caddy to be tilted relative to the ground and the center of the caddy.
Advantageously, the non-swiveling casters provide directional stability and permit the frame of the caddy to be tilted relative to the center of the caddy to enable the forward (or rearward) end of the caddy frame to be tilted whereby to overcome small obstacles that are encountered on the floor.
In a first aspect according to this invention there is provided a multipurpose paint caddy, the caddy comprising:
a frame, the frame defining a forward end, a rearward end, a pair of sides, a bottom side, and a top side,
a grippable handle extending from the frame for pushing and manipulating the frame, the handle enabling the user to apply forces used to simultaneously lift up and push down the opposite ends of said frame;
means for supporting and positioning a paint bucket on the top side of the frame,
means for storing paint apparatus for use on the top side of the frame in juxtaposition with the paint bucket, and
means for supporting the frame for rolling movement on the ground.
Preferably and according to this invention, the means for supporting and positioning a paint bucket comprises a housing, the housing forming an upwardly open cradle or corral with at least one wall portion thereof being configured to encircle and position at least one paint bucket for vertical orientation above the top side of the frame. The wall portion may be rectangular or circular in shape, or comprise arcuate segments, and dimensioned to closely encircle the paint bucket.
In situations wherein the caddy is used to transport a single large and heavy bucket, additional support may be desirable. Accordingly, in an alternate preferred embodiment according to this invention, the frame includes a cylindrical recess to nestingly receive the bottom end portion of the bucket, and the housing includes a cylindrical wall portion (or opening) adapted to closely encircle the bucket. The cylindrical recess and opening are generally concentric, vertically spaced from one another, and cooperate to provide vertical stability to the bucket relative to the frame and inhibit the bucket from tipping over.
Further, the means for supporting paint apparatus preferably comprises a generally rectangular shaped enclosure having a pair of upwardly open chambers.
In one embodiment according to this invention, a paint roller is disassembled and the handle portions, or extenders, are separated from the roller portion. The first chamber of the enclosure forms a tray that is adapted to receive the paint roller and the second chamber forms an opening adapted to receive and vertically position the handle portions of the roller.
In another embodiment according to this invention, the first chamber is adapted to receive at least one paint pan, and the second chamber is adapted to store paint supplies. The first chamber may comprise an opening formed in a top wall of the enclosure and configured to nestingly receive the paint pan removably inserted therewithin. If desired, in some applications, the paint pan may be integrally formed as a part of the top wall of the enclosure and receive the paint directly. In a second embodiment, the first chamber is adapted to receive a paint roller and the second chamber
The frame, the housing, and the enclosure may be integrally formed or separately provided and secured to one another by appropriate means. Additionally, the enclosure and housing may be integrally formed as one-piece. Desirably, a one-piece construction would enable rapid removal by the user either for cleaning or to retrofit to the frame a housing having a different bucket configuration.
Finally, the means for supporting the frame for rolling movement is characterized by two pairs of swivelable wheels and a pair of non-swivelable wheels. The swivelable wheels are each spaced a first distance from the bottom side of the frame such that the ground engaging surfaces of the wheels are coplanar. One pair of the swivelable wheels is disposed at the forward end of the frame and the other pair of the swivelable wheels is disposed at the rearward end of the frame. The non-swivelable wheels are located at the center of the frame with each wheel thereof being spaced a second distance from the bottom side of the frame. The second distance is greater than the first distance such that the ground engaging surfaces of the non-swivelable wheels are further from the frame than are the swivelable wheels.
Also and according to this invention, the means for supporting is characterized by the above-noted first and second pairs of swivelable wheels that are disposed at the forward and rearward ends of the frame and extend downwardly therefrom by first distances, and further by first and second pairs of non-swivelable wheels. The two pairs of non-swivelable wheels project downwardly from the center of the frame by second distances and operate to normally maintain the frame so as to be generally parallel to the ground surface upon which the caddy is pushed. The second distance is greater than the first distance such that the ground engaging surfaces of the non-swivelable wheels are further from the frame than are the swivelable wheels.
The swivelable wheels may comprise rollers that simultaneously enable rolling movement as well as rotation about a vertical axis.
The arrangement of swivelable and non-swivelable casters enables the frame to normally move along the ground and also to tilt whereby to allow the opposite ends of the caddy to be rotated above and thereby obviate obstacles encountered during movement of the caddy. In this regard, the handle enables the user to push as well as to apply a torque to one or the other end of the frame, whereby to tilt the frame and lift the swivelable wheel from the path of the obstacle.
The above objects and features according to the invention are pointed out with specificity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure.